The great majority of cooking vessels generally have circular or oval configurations which include a bottom and an upwardly extending side wall, though some vessels may have little or no side wall. However, conventional cookware vessels invariably have a flat bottom of uniform thickness. Two undesirable performance characteristics of such a typical construction are that (1) a maximum amount of time is required to bring the cooking surface to the desired cooking temperature and (2) the vessel slides easily when in contact with a support structure during cooking. The slowness of the cooking surface to reach cooking temperature is particularly disadvantageous since present day consumers spend less and less time cooking foods and hence demand that cooking times be as short as possible. The capacity of conventional vessels to absorb heat is limited by the area defined by the heat source, usually circular, such as the area of an electric burner or the heating envelope of a gas burner. Conventional vessels also have a tendency to warp, particularly in the larger sizes, over time due to such factors as being accidentally permitted to "cook dry"; that is, to be kept on a stove in contact with the heat source after the contents have been removed, or boiled dry.
As a consequence there is a need for a cookware vessel which heats to cooking temperature quickly, which has an increased capacity to absorb heat from a heat source so as to minimize fuel usage and reduce cooking time, which cannot be slid easily off a burner or other heat source thereby spilling the contents, and which retains a nominally flat contour over time, even in the larger sizes and when subject to substantial distorting forces during use.